The present invention relates to substituted imidazole compounds which have anti-cancer activity. Numerous anti-cancer compounds in unrelated chemical classes have been synthesized or derived from naturally occurring plants and organisms. None are presently available which demonstrate the anti-cancer activity that has been discovered with respect to the compounds of the present invention. The compounds of the present invention demonstrate anti-cancer activity through the antagonism of the kinase, Raf. The raf genes code for a family of proteins which can be oncogenically activated through N-terminal fusion, truncation or point mutations. RAF can be activated and undergoes rapid phosphorylation in response to PDGF, EGF, insulin, thrombin, endothelin, acidic FGF, CSF1 or TPA, as well as in response to oncoproteins v-fms, v-src, v-sis, Hras and polyoma middle T antigen. Antisense constructs which reduce cellular levels of c-Raf, and hence Raf activity, inhibit the growth of oncogene-transformed rodent fibroblasts in soft agar, while exhibiting little or no general cytotoxicity. Since inhibition of growth in soft agar is highly predictive of tumor responsiveness in whole animals, these studies suggest that the antagonism of RAF is an effective means by which to treat cancers in which RAF plays a role.
Examples of such cancers, where RAF is implicated through overexpression include cancers of the brain, genitourinary tract, lymphatic system, stomach, larynx and lung. More particularly, such examples include histiocytic lymphoma, lung adenocarcinoma and small cell lung cancers. Additional examples include cancers in which over-expression or activation of Raf-activating oncogenes (e.g., K-ras, erb-B) is observed. More particularly, such cancers include pancreatic and breast carcinoma.
Numerous compounds of the present invention also inhibit cytokines and the pathology which is associated with diseases wherein cytokines are present in high levels. Cytokine mediated diseases refers to diseases or conditions in which excessive or unregulated production or activity of one or more cytokines occurs. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) are cytokines produced by a variety of cells which are involved in immunoregulation and other physiological conditions.
There are many disease states in which IL-1 is implicated. Included among these diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, endotoxemia, toxic shock syndrome, acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as the inflammatory reaction induced by endotoxin or inflammatory bowel disease; tuberculosis, atherosclerosis, muscle degeneration, cachexia, psoriatic arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, traumatic arthritis, rubella arthritis and acute synovitis. Recent evidence also links IL-1 activity to diabetes.
Interleukin-1 has also been demonstrated to mediate a variety of biological activities thought to be important in immunoregulation and other physiological conditions. [See, e.g., Dinarello et al., Rev. Infect. Disease, 6, 51 (1984)]. The known biological activities of IL-1 include the activation of T helper cells, induction of fever, stimulation of prostaglandin or collagenase production, neutrophil chemotaxis, induction of acute phase proteins and the suppression of plasma iron levels.
Excessive or unregulated tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production or activity has likewise been implicated in mediating or exacerbating rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid spondylitis, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis, and other arthritic conditions, sepsis, septic shock, endotoxic shock, gram negative sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, adult respiratory distress syndrome, cerebral malaria, chronic pulmonary inflammatory disease, silicosis, pulmonary sarcosis, bone resorption diseases, reperfusion injury, graft v. host rejection, allograft rejections, fever and myalgia due to infection, cachexia secondary to infection or malignancy, cachexia secondary to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), AIDS related complex (ARC), keloid formation, scar tissue formation, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and pyresis.
Monokines, such as TNF, have also been shown to activate HIV replication in monocytes and/or macrophages [See Poli, et al., Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci., 87:782-784 (1990)], therefore, inhibition of monokine production or activity aids in limiting HIV progression. TNF has been implicated in various roles with other viral infections, such as the cytomegalovirus (CMV), influenza virus, and the herpes virus.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine effecting the immune system and hematopoiesis. It is produced by several mammalian cell types in response to agents such as IL-1, and is correlated with disease states such as angiofollicular lymphoid hyperplasia.
Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a chemotactic factor first identified and characterized in 1987. Many different names have been applied to IL-8, such as neutrophil attractant/activation protein-1 (NAP-1), monocyte derived neutrophil chemotactic factor (MDNCF), neutrophil activating factor (NAF), and T-cell lymphocyte chemotactic factor. Like IL-1, IL-8 is produced by several cell types, including mononuclear cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and ketainocytes. Its production is induced by IL-1, TNF and by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). IL-8 stimulates a number of cellular functions in vitro. It is a chemoattractant for neutro2 phils, T-lymphocytes and basophils. It induces histamine release from basophils. It causes lysozomal enzyme release and respiratory burst from neutrophils, and it has been shown to increase the surface expression of Mac-I (CD11b/CD 18) on neutrophils without de novo protein synthesis.
There remains a need for compounds which are effective for treating cancer in which RAF is implicated, as well as compounds which inhibit, suppress or antagonize the production or activity of cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF.